The Cliff on the Water
by mahoneyb8
Summary: Shadow loves Rouge. But he still loves Maria. This bothers Rouge and causes Shadow to go slightly crazy.
1. Blue Bear

The star shot across the sky and Rouge's eyes sparkled in it's gleam. She sat alone on the cliffs edge, feet dangling. The star also lit up the water and Rouge looked down on it and saw her reflection, but also something behind her. Something floating over her. She looked up to see a rush of fire from the bottom of the shoes of the floating ebony hedgehog. She relaxed at the sight of him and even smiled. Shadow wasn't the type of person that most people would smile at when they layed their eyes on him.

"Why don't you come down and join me? It must be cold up there with the wind blowing," she spoke loud so he could here. He began to float down until he was standing next her. He then sat and looked out at the ocean.

He face, that was normally cold, emotionless, was now almost happy. A slight smile was upon his lips and his crimson eyes glowed in the moonlight. His voice also had a certain affectionate sound to it.

"Hello Rouge. What are you doing out here?" He glanced over at her then his eyes looked up to the full moon then a quick look at the ARK. His mood darkened slightly but then he looked back down to Rouge.

She ignored almost all of those actions. She was used to Shadow's sad looks at the floating fortress in the sky. "I had nothing better to do. This place makes me happy for some reason. I don't know why." She looked to him looking for and answer to the same exact question. He smiled slightly at her. A small smile that looked good on his face. Rouge had a strange urge to take a picture of it just because it was so rare for him.

"The cliff on the water." He smiled even wider. This smile was more out of place on his face, but Rouge liked it the same. This statement confused her. The cliff on the water? Yeah, it is a cliff on the water but is that a reason?

The ebony hedgehog caught the confusion in her eyes. He smiled softly. "I shall explain. When you look down from the ARK window with a telescope pointing down, this is the spot that shows. Maria and I used to look at it. Just dream of sitting here together exactly like we are now. That dream will never come true but I guess I just wanted to try. Make it halfway." He thumbled with something in his hands. A small blue teddy bear. He noticed her interest. "This was her favorite. She loved this thing. COuldn't sleep without it. I never understood that until almost recently. I found it the other night and took it to bed with me. Now I can't sleep without it on my pillow. It's childish I know, and honestly I'm not sure why I'm telling all of this to you. I've realized that lately I'm telling you things I'd never tell another living soul.

Rouge's words were caught in her throat. She had no idea what to say. She knew he was waiting for some heart felt beautifully worded elegant loving reply, but Rouge could think of none. She just stared into his crimson eyes thoughtless.

Shadow ran the back of his pointer finger down the side of her face and stared back. "Your eyes are the same color as Maria's." He eyes filled with sadness. He leaned forward and placed his lips agaisnt Rouge's. She placed a hand on the white fur on his chest.

Those last words didn't hit her until his lips did. Her eyes were the same color as MARIA's. This was the spot that him and MARIA wanted to go to. That teddy bear that he couldn't sleep without belonged to MARIA. Not her, but Maria. And it would always be Maria, wouldn't it?

She ended the kiss and opened her eyes. Tears were forming in the corners. Shadow's eyes opened in surprise. The stars made them twinkle.

"Not me."

"What?" Shadow said, confused. "Rouge, are you ok?"

"Not me. Her." Her eyes shot to the teddy bear. "You loved her, not me. I'm not going to stand here while you love me for what I have in commom with her." She flew off suddenly towards the moon. The tears finally spilled from her eyes.


	2. Surprise

Rouge flew all the way back to Club Rouge without stopping. Shadow followed her for a while but then gave up for the white bat showed no sign of stopping or slowing. She wiped the tears from her eyes once again. It helped none because new ones took their spots almost instantly. She slapped herself.

"Get a hold of yourself Rouge!" She whispered to herself. "You are Rouge the bat, one of the governments greatest agents and worlds best treasure hunters! You shouldn't let something as stupid as a hedgehog trying to make up for his lost lover bring you to your knees in pain!" She shook her head and stopped crying. She stepped inside and went into the kitchen to pour herself some coffee. She took a sip then looked at it surprised. She made it that morning. Shouldn't it be cold? It was hot.

She turned and looked at the kitchen examining everything very closely. There were potato chip crumbs on the counter. Rouge didn't eat potato chips, but she knew someone who did. She rolled her eyes and walked upstairs with her coffee. She went into her bedroom and there, Sonic laid on her bed, smiling at her.

"Boo." He laughed and got up.

"What are you doing here?" She rolled her eyes, annoyed. She really needed to change the locks.

"I was bored and hungry. You had food." He shrugged then finally really opened his eyes for the first time. He looked at her like she was some sort of monster. "What the hell happened to you?"

"It's none of your business Sonic, now go!" She pushed the blue hedgehog out of her bedroom and slammed (and locked) the door behind her. She groaned and went over to her bed and plopped down. She jumped away immediately, her face crumpled. The bed was covered in Sonic's stench. She growled in impatience and tore the sheets from the bed.

She marched them downstairs and went for new ones but couldn't find any. She sighed. Would anything go right for me today? she thought. She went back up and closed the door behind her, not bothering with turning the light on. She finally let tears spill form her eyes once again and she fell onto the bed. It was surprisingly cool and fresh smelling. She flipped on the light and new sheets replaced the old ones. And sitting on top of her pillow was a small blue teddy bear...


	3. A tad stalkerish, doncha think?

Rouge flew all the way back to Club Rouge without stopping. Shadow followed her for a while but then gave up for the white bat showed no sign of stopping or slowing. She wiped the tears from her eyes once again. It helped none because new ones took their spots almost instantly. She slapped herself.

"Get a hold of yourself Rouge!" She whispered to herself. "You are Rouge the bat, one of the governments greatest agents and worlds best treasure hunters! You shouldn't let something as stupid as a hedgehog trying to make up for his lost lover bring you to your knees in pain!" She shook her head and stopped crying. She stepped inside and went into the kitchen to pour herself some coffee. She took a sip then looked at it surprised. She made it that morning. Shouldn't it be cold? It was hot.

She turned and looked at the kitchen examining everything very closely. There were potato chip crumbs on the counter. Rouge didn't eat potato chips, but she knew someone who did. She rolled her eyes and walked upstairs with her coffee. She went into her bedroom and there, Sonic laid on her bed, smiling at her.

"Boo." He laughed and got up.

"What are you doing here?" She rolled her eyes, annoyed. She really needed to change the locks.

"I was bored and hungry. You had food." He shrugged then finally really opened his eyes for the first time. He looked at her like she was some sort of monster. "What the hell happened to you?"

"It's none of your business Sonic, now go!" She pushed the blue hedgehog out of her bedroom and slammed (and locked) the door behind her. She groaned and went over to her bed and plopped down. She jumped away immediately, her face crumpled. The bed was covered in Sonic's stench. She growled in impatience and tore the sheets from the bed.

She marched them downstairs and went for new ones but couldn't find any. She sighed. Would anything go right for me today? she thought. She went back up and closed the door behind her, not bothering with turning the light on. She finally let tears spill form her eyes once again and she fell onto the bed. It was surprisingly cool and fresh smelling. She flipped on the light and new sheets replaced the old ones. And sitting on top of her pillow was a small blue teddy bear...


	4. Can I have a bite?

Rouge's eyes were wide. She stared at the door, not necessarily in fear, but uncertainty. She had never seen this side of Shadow before, and honestly it scared her more than anything. And Shadow's uncanny ability to appear and disappear on his own free will at any given moment didn't help her at all.

She decided to stay at work and do her day as normally as she could manage. She sat at her computer and started to type. They were reports about her last mission that she needed to turn in by the next day. Why the hell didn't I do that last week? she thought. She continued with that until one which was her lunch time. She stepped out from her office and started to head down the lounge. Jackie was still in there typing, but she wasn't alone. Shadow was next to her, arm around her and his eyes intently focused on what she was typing.

Rouge felt weird when she saw his arm around her. She turned from them and went into the mini fridge to get her salad she had put in there that morning. She sat at the other side of the table and didn't look up at them. She poured on her ranch and took a bite.

"You spelled that wrong." Shadow pointed to the screen. Rouge continued to eat, not paying attention to Jackie and the stalker hedgehog. She stood and headed to the fridge again to retrieve a bottle of water. A hand grabbed the one she was going for. She looked up and Shadow stood there, opened the water and took a sip, then just walked away. Rouge growled to herself and grabbed the last one. She headed back and took another bite.

"Can you excuse me Shadow? I need to use the Little Girls' Room." Jackie stood and left the room. The only sounds heard were Rouge's chewing and Shadow unscrewing and re-screwing the cap to his water in a bored fashion. Rouge glanced up the same time Shadow did. She dropped her eyes. Shadow continued to stare. Rouge started to feel the afternoon tiredness hit her.

"How's your salad?" Shadow asked, curiously.

"It's good." Rouge muttered.

"Can I have a bite?"

Rouge dropped her fork. "Where's your lunch?"

Shadow shrugged. "Don't have one."

"Oh. I guess." Rouge was going to scoot it across the table to him but he appeared next to her. He grabbed the fork and bent his head down to take the bite. His head was only a few inches from Rouge.

"That is really good. Did you make it yourself?" He smiled, still bent over the table, fork in hand.

"Yeah I did." Rouge backed away from him slightly.

He smirked. "You know, you haven't even touched your water. I think you should take a sip. You look rather parched and that salad has alot of crackers in it."

Rouge gave him a weird look but grabbed the water and opened it for the first time and took a sip. It tasted extremely good for water and Rouge took another sip, then another. Shadow just watched her.

After a minute or two the whole thing was gone. Rouge couldn't believe she had drunken that much so fast.

Shadow chuckled, still next to her. "Was it that good?"

"Yeah." She said, embarrassed that he had watched her do that. She went to get another bite of salad but then suddenly felt like a nap. She could hide in her office and do it. She had a meeting in half an hour. A twenty minute nap wouldn't hurt.

She yawned. "I'm going to head back to my office and sleep."

"Ok, I'll clean this up for you." He grabbed her dishes and smiled at her in a gentlemanly way before turning on his heel and heading to the sink. She smiled back, feeling groggy and went back to her office. She closed the door behind her and went to her desk. She suddenly felt light headed and fell over. She looked up at the light then it all went black.


	5. Waking Up

Rouge opened her eyes to the setting sun above her. Surprise hit her, for she didn't know how she got here. She remembered eating her salad and then Shadow kept telling her to drink- OH SH*T! THE WATER! she thought.

She still felt numb, and couldn't move. She felt like there was a fog covering her mind and body connection. She tried to move but only succeeded in twitching her fingers the slightest. She felt something holding her down, something warm, and something rather heavy. She twitched the slightest and got a response. Her body started to respond once again and she finally looked down.

Shadow had his head on her chest, fast asleep, teddy bear in hand. He looked like a little kid, cuddling with his mother because he was having nightmares. Rouge didn't know what to do, she felt the first two or three buttons on her shirt undone, but at the same time, she couldn't bring herself to feel violated. Shadow turned slightly, snuggling closer on Rouge chest and she flushed slightly.

She sat up, making sure not to wake him. She looked out to the water and even smiled slightly. The Cliff on the Water, again. She looked down to the hedgehog curled in her lap. He looked so small and innocent there, curled in on himself, clutching that teddy bear. Rouge ran her hand along the base of his quill, all the way to the top. She did this over and over again, him smiling in sleep. She scratched behind his ear and he cooed softly. She giggled. Yeah some big bad Ultimate Life Form. She had him loving even the simplest touch.

What am I doing? she thought to herself. He's stalked her for the last day, stolen her stuff, and drugged her, and here she is, snuggling with him while he sleeps. She should be furious, she should throw that damn bear over the cliff's edge and kick him awake, but she couldn't bring herself to be mad. She just sat there and watched him.

They were there for about and hour until Shadow shivered slightly. She wrapped her arms around him in an attempt to warm him. He opened his eyes and looked up.


	6. I love you to Enough to do this

You could see the sudden fear that came into his eyes when he saw Rouge looking down on him. He didn't like it when people saw him sleeping. It was a place of weakness for him. He usually looked rather innocent in sleep, and that's the obvious opposite of what he wanted. He wanted to be feared, and to feel dominance, but with her looking at him like he was the cutest damn thing she'd ever seen really wasn't helping him.

He shot up straight and then stood, so he was looking down on her. She looked up and suprised turned to sadness and she looked down then turned bright red. Rouge had noticed the first 5 buttons of her shirt were undone, revealing her lacey white Victoria's Secret bra. Shadow flushed a deep red and stared at her for a moment, then adverted his eyes. Rouge buttoned her top quickly and looked up worriedly to Shadow.

"Did you...?" She couldn't finish.

"No... I was going to...well no I wasn't but... I don't know." Shadow continued to stand, while Rouge continued to sit. This was weird for both and they knew one of them had to move. Shadow decided it would bestly be him. He kneeled down and sat in the grass and turned to look out at the cliff.

"Oh." Was all she said. She followed his eyes into the sky and they looked out at the ARK, tears forming in Shadow's eyes.

Rouge picked the teddy bear from the ground and Shadow glanced and then just stared. SH*T, he thought. Had he been sleeping with that? Now he seemed like even less of a threat. He growled under his breath.

Rouge stood now and Shadow looked confused at her. Rouge still gripped the bear tightly. Shadow feared she'd tear it. He already had enough trouble sleeping but that would just make it 10 times worse.

"I feel like I should just throw this damn thing into the ocean." She stared down at the bear, her grip loosening. "It's all this bears fault. If it had not been there that night...if it would've never existed we would've been together that night, just like I wanted." Tear began to spill from her eyes and Shadow just stared at her, not sure if she was going to chuck the blue buddy over the edge or not, and if he should save it or not if she did. He just stared.

She started to shake and dropped the bear onto the ground. She acted like she was going to kick it, but she froze and broke down sobbing and fell to her knees.

Shadow had never comforted someone in a physical manor for years, since Maria. He remembered it slightly and what to do. He crawled to her and wrapped his arms around her. She buried her face in the white puff of fur on his chest and snuggled close.

"Rouge?"

"Yes Shadow."

"I love you." Shadow kissed the top of her head. She backed away from him to look. She stopped crying and picked up the bear. She stood and looked out, standing there with he wind blowing around her on The Cliff on the Water. With all of her might she thrusted the bear into the ocean where it hit the surface of the water and disappeared. She turned around to Shadow and smiled.

"I love you to." And she took flight, leaving the ebony and crimson hedgehog to look for the bear by himself, in almost dark.


	7. My Mouthless Kidnapper

Rouge giggled the whole way home, flying like lightning to get home. She entered Club Rouge and headed upstairs, then remembered she didn't sign out of work. She texted Jackie:

heyy honey can u sign me out? thanx ^^ ~~kiss kiss Rougie 3

She sent it and turned to her closet and changed into another nightgown, but this one was shorter and slightly lower cut than her favorite and it was a halloween purple with black lace in the front and made of silk. She smiled and turned to her phone when it went off. She read:

hye where in the world did u and shadow go? were you guys...? OMG DID U?  
Jac_kie

Rouge giggled and replied:

we didnt do anything...yet xD lol jkjk sum things just happened u dont need to kno k? it wuz nothin so yea ~~kiss kiss Rougie 3

Rouge set her phone down on her nightstand and layed down, tired from her long day and she fell alseep right away.

She dreamt of being with Shadow, in his house. She was in the kitchen, making some coffee when she began in the dream. She was rather warm, but comfortable and she carried two mugs of coffee into the living room. She handed one to Shadow and sat in his lap. He kissed her cheek and sipped his coffee. They stayed like that until the both of them had finished. They sat them aside and she hugged him, just laying there.

Suddenly a chill hit her and she shivered. Shadow hugged her tighter but then suddenly picked her up and she felt like he was spinning her super fast, around and around. She giggled because she found this action rather fun. She held him tighter and his face was smiling but he loosened her grip with his hands.

All of these actions felt too real to Rouge, as if they were actually happening outside of the dream. She blew it off as her imagination. Shadow kissed her softly but that didn't feel real, it felt imaginary liek most things in her dreams did. She felt weird for a while, like she was rather weightless as she cuddled in Shadow's arms. It was weird but then in the dream Shadow started laughing, a cold, dark laugh. The voice was familiar but it wasn't Shadow's. Suddenly Shadow put her down on the ground, which was rather hard and very cold, but then she couldn't move and she heard Shadow walk away. The dream ended and Rouge spent abouyt another hour or so sleeping, then she finally opened her eyes.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes. How weird, she thought, but then realized she wasn't in her bed. She looked around confused. The place was familiar. She had spent some time on here with Shadow and Eggman. It was the ARK. She mused over this in her head. Did Shadow bring me here? I don't think he'd leave me on the cold ground... she thought, her brow furrowing. She stood and looked around, her bare feet cold on the metal floor. She looked around.

This part of the ARK looked like it was once a hallway, but was closed by steel metal doors closing the portals to other parts of the ship. There was a door. Rouge went to it, but had no idea how to open it. She turned and against the back wall, there was a huge window. She remembered this window. She often found Shadow here, staring down at the Earth. She walked over and looked down. It was so beautiful. The Earth in orbit, clouds blowing across and making the Earth and round ball with swirls of white, green and lots of blue. She gawked at its beauty for a minute then noticed a telescope sitting near the edge of the window. She went over to it. It looked as though it hadn't moved from its position in a long time. She had the strangest urge to not move it either and just looks. She put her eye to the hole.

There was The Cliff on the Water. Shadow stood on its edge, smiling and holding the bear. He looked up and Rouge felt as though he was next to her, staring in her eyes. She smiled.

Suddenly something wrapped around her and covered her mouth. She let out a muffled scream and turned slightly to look at the culprit. She gaped at her mouthless attacker, unable to move.

"Hello Rouge." He said in his evil voice, which sounded just like Shadow's laugh from the dream. Suddeny Rouge found herself in total, and utter darkness. 


	8. Horrible Night

Rouge looked around at the darkness. Her head hurt, and she had no idea what was going on or how to stop it. She sat in the darkness for an unmeasurable ammount of time. It could have been a few minutes, or a few hours. She couldn't tell. It felt like forever. And when she opened her eyes...well, she didn't like what she saw.

Her eyes opened them to green eyes, with cat-like pupils. She heard him laugh, but his mouth did nothing, for he had none.

"What are you doing?" Rouge pushed hard on his chest but he didn't move a centinmeter. He was cold and rock-like. It also kind of burned. His touch. That's when Rouge realized they were in a bed. Her eyes went wide and she looked at him.

Even though he didn't have a mouth, you kind of felt like he was smiling. An evil, horrible smile that scared Rouge to even picture in her head.

He put a hand on her face, and she froze. She couldn't move.

"This." He trailed his hand down and began to lift the bottom of her dress up, exposing her silk panties. "And I guess you want to know why also? This is revenge for Shadow. In his dead girlfriends bed."

Rouge finally looked at the room. Everything in it was blue, and I mean everything!

Mephiles proceeded to rape her. She tried to scream out, but there was no one. She cursed Shadow for always being the guy to come home late. It hurt her, painfully. It burned and she screamed out, and at some moments she felt as though her skin was on fire. In about and hour he finished and just got up and left, leaving Rouge in the bed, naked and in pain, her nightgown and underwear in shreds on the ground.

She opened her eyes. She looked around the room and wrapped her arms around herself. That was horrible. She wanted to sob and sob more and more and never stop. She pulled the blankets over her head and cried on the pillow.

She heard steps outside of the door and her heart skipped a beat. She hushed herself, hoping like hell it wasn't him again.

The door lifted itself open, and Shadow stepped inside the portal, looking around concerned and confused. He noticed Rouge.

"What the f*ck?" He came over and pulled the blanket down and Rouge's arms shot up and around his neck, tears spilling from her eyes.

"Mephiles!" She choked out and that was the only word Rouge spoke for the rest of the night. 


	9. The Picture on the Nightstand

Rouge awoke the next morning, or it was probably afternoon. She had spent that whole night crying until she passed out in Shadow's arms. She rubbed her eyes and sat up. She wore a white tank top that was rather big on her and a pair of black sweatpants with G.U.N. writtin in bold, white letters down the side. Had Shadow dressed her? She blushed at this thought. She looked around.

She wasn't in the blue room anymore. This room had grey-white walls with black carpet. The bed was king-sized and very soft. So many pillows that it felt like a cloud. The door was in the corner to the front right. So if you were to walk in the room, the bed would be in the back right corner. Across from the bed was a dresser with a mirror ontop. To the right of the bed was a bookshelf, filled with books and CDs with a player on the small table next to it. The television was on the wall next to the door. The door opened and Shadow stepped inside and looked at Rouge.

"How are you feeling?" He said, his tone sympathetic.

Rouge shrugged, not feeling like talking. She noticed the tray in his hands.

He carried it over, his face rather expressionless. "I made you breakfast."

Rouge half muttered "thanks" almost inaudibly. Shadow moved the tray to a small nightstand next to the bed that held a clock, a lamp, and a picture Shadow and Rouge had taken in the tree swing behind the GUN HQ. In the background of it you could see The Cliff on the Water and the ARK in the sky. This made Rouge smile slightly.

Shadow sat on the bed and pulled her into a hug, his hand on her back and the back of her head. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Rouge, are you going to be OK?" He said, almost sounding like he was on the verge of crying. She didn't want Shadow to cry, so she lied.

"I'm fine."

He pulled back to look into her eyes. "Really? Because your covered in bruises."

"Well I'm a little sore but I'll be fine."

"You sure?" A little hope shined in his eyes.

"Very sure." Rouge smiled and put her lips to his. His hand moved from behind her head to her cheek. He kissed her back, passionetly until they leaned back and Rouge felt something odd-shaped under her head. She ended the kiss and pulled the object from behind her. It was the blue teddy bear. 


	10. Bubbles!

Shadow took the bear from Rouge's hands. He didn't want to do this, but he thought it would please Rouge so he did. He tookt he bear, and instead of taking it over to the table calmly, he threw it and it hit the wall with a thump and the bear landed sitting up straight on top of the CD player. Rouge smiled and pulled Shadow in for a deeper kiss. The continued this until they were both gasping for air and Shadow moved his lips down to Rouge's neck and kissed her gently. He then pulled back slightly and gave her neck a weird look.

"What's wrong?" Shadow didn't answer her question. He sniffed her hand and gave it to her. She looked confused but sniffed herself. Her eyes went wide. She smelt just like Mephiles. She threw her hand away from herself and just stared at it in fear. That whole night hit her again and she watched it in her head repeatedly.

Shadow waved his hand infront of her face, trying to get her attention. She was frozen. Shadow shook her slightly and still got no response. He sighed. Again something he didn't want to do. He took the glass of water and super his hand. He poured some in his hands and splashed Rouge awake. She jumped, an just stared at Shadow, dripping.

"Rouge, are you okay?" Shadow put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at me, her eyes filled with fear. She grabbed Shadow around the neck tightly, which made it hard for him to breathe, and started sobbing. He loosened her grip slightly and hugged her tightly.

"I smell like him... I can't get it out of my head. I saw it all over and over again Shadow! I can't stand that!"

"Oh Rouge," he hugged her tighter."What can I do?"

She backed away. "First, I need to get rid of this awful stench. Where's your shower?" She pried out of his arms and jumped to her feet, but instantly regretted it. A pain shot up Rouge's leg and she cried out in pain, falling to her knees and onto her back. Shadow grabbed her and placed her back onto the bed and looked at her foot.

"I didn't get the chance to tell you, but your ankle is broken."

"Your f*cking kidding me, right?" She looked at him in disbelief.

"Hey if you don't believe me then I'd try walking again." He looked at her like she was rather stupid.

She sighed. "Fine... I guess I should say, where's your bath?"

"Finish your breakfast." He grabbed the tray and sat it in her lap. "Eat first."

She rolled her eyes and took a bite. She hadn't realized how hungry she was. She took another bite, then another and kept going until she was done. He smiled.

"Wow Rougie, was it that good?"

"Extremely! I never knew you could cook!"

"Eh, it's something to do up here all alone." Shadow shrugged and looked away.

Rouge frowned. "I almost forgot that your all alone up here. Such a big place and nobody here to share it with..."

"Yeah, but it's not so bad. I'm barely ever home. Work and school usually keep me busy."

"School?" Shadow attends a school?

"Oh yeah, I just recently signed up to take some online classes. That's all."

"Oh..."

"Yeah, so let's go get you ready for a bath." He picked her up and carried down through several hallways until they found a bathroom. It was quite big and made of lots of marble.

"Damn this is a nice place! I wish I lived here..." Rouge muttered.

"I wish you did to..." Shadow said, almost inaudibly.

"What was that?" Rouge looked to him in confusion.

"Oh it was nothing. Just talking to myself." He smiled a sly smile, wishing he could cross his fingers behind his back.

He set her down on the edge of the sink and she looked around.

"Ok, bubbles or no bubbles?"

"You have bubbles?" Rouge raised and eyebrow.

"Friday is ,my relax day, now answer."

"Bubbles!" Rouge smiled innocently.

"Okay." Shadow grabbed the bubbles from under the sink and ran them into hot water in the tub. Once the tub was filled he realized something. "Your gonna need help getting in and out."

Rouge hadn't realized this either. "Oh yeah..." She blushed. "Well... I don't know. I don't think I could these pants off without help either..." She blushed deeper.

"Well I could blindfold myself..." Shadow shrugged. "That's what I did when I dressed you last night, just closed my eyes.

"Ok, yeah that will work!" Rouge's cheeks started to revert to their normal color.

Shadow left for a minute then came back and tied the blindfold around him, holding a Chaos Emerald. He sat that down on the counter. Rouge pulled the shirt off of herself and then pulled the pants most of the way down. Shadow helped get them around her foot then he picked her up. They both blushed when this happened. Shadow set Rouge down in the water. He turned around to the counter and grabbed the Chaos Emerald.

"Are you leaving?" Rouge asked.

"Just for a minute. I'm going to your place to get a change of clothes for you." He set something on a little table and sat it beside the tub. It was a cell phone. "Call YOUR phone if you need anything, ok?"

"Alright." Rouge settled a little deeper in the water and Shadow was about to leave when his phone went off. He grabbed it and turned around to lift the blindfold. He read it.

"Ok, Jackie just texted me to come pick up some paperwork if we were taking the day off so I'm going to be just a tad longer." He closed his eyes and turned around to kiss Rouge goodbye. He left, using Chaos Control.

Rouge sighed and closed her eyes. She felt very calm, and the water was making her foot hurt less. She suddenly felt like she had moved and opened her eyes. She was still in the same tub, alone. Weird...

She closed her eyes again but they shot open when she heard a noise. She opened them again. Maybe it was Shadow... Was that the weird feeling of movement? Sleep? She sat up slightly and looked around. The door stared to move up and she saw Shadow's shoes. Thank god it's just-, Rouge's thought was cut short when Mephiles walked through the door.


	11. And I couldn't help but smile

Rouge gaped at Mephiles. _Please tell me I'm dreaming_, she thought. She had no way of getting away if it wasn't. Mephiles suddenly appeared in front of her and looked down. She started screaming and thrashing at him as he reached for her. She needed to get away from him. NOW.

He was suddenly holding her neck. She screamed more as he pushed her under the water. She kept swinging and hit his eye. It was rock solid. Her neck burned from the touch and inside it burned for air, begging her to take a breath.

Suddenly Mephiles was gone, away from her and Rouge shot up and sucked in a giant breath.

"You damned motherf*cker," Shadow growled, his hand on Mephiles's throat holding him up in the air. Suddenly He swung and hit Shadow hard in the gut and Rouge heard a crack. He fell back onto his butt and spit up some blood. Rouge gasped. Mephiles looked at her, and even though he had no mouth, Rouge pictured him smiling again. Suddenly a dark aura surrounded Mephiles and he disappeared.

Rouge just stared at the spot where he just was in a daze. Shadow coughed up some more blood and Rouge snapped out of it. She looked at Shadow in concern and tried to stand but her sprained ankle made her fall, squealing in pain back into the tub. The bubbles splashed onto the floor along with some water.

"Are you OK?" Shadow forced the words through his clenched teeth. Rouge nodded and repeated the question. "I'll be fine." Shadow stood, wincing and holding his stomach. He looked at Rouge and smiled a slightly perverted smile. "Someone made the bubbles go bye-bye."

Rouge's face went red and she looked down, noticing you could see **everything**. She wrapped her arms around herself in a rush, splashing more water and bubbles from the tub.

Shadow looked at the mess on the ground. "Please stop splashing. More to clean up."

"Oh I'm sorry!" Rouge held still, arms around her chest and legs pulled up to her.

"OK, are you done?" Rouge nodded. "Alright." Shadow grabbed a towel and looked away from Rouge. He helped her out from the tub and she put the towel around herself. He sat her on the counter and went to the door to pick up some stuff on the ground. Rouge looked and noticed some of her clothes on the floor, along with her phone. Shadow's phone came to mind with fear and she looked over. _THANK GOD, it's not wet,_ she thought.

Shadow winced as he moved and especially as he leaned down to grab Rouge's stuff. She grabbed a tee towel and when he turned she started to wipe the blood from his face. This surprised him at first but he let her. She licked her finger and wiped off the last bit.

This simple action overwhelmed Shadow with passion and he pulled Rouge into a kiss, blowing off his pain from the wounds. It was only a broken rib or 2 most likely. Nothing for Shadow to really worry about. All that mattered to him now was Rouge.

Rouge felt Shadow's hand trail down her back and hugged her closer. She twirled her fingers in the fluff on his chest and loved it's softness. Shadow was being very gentle and so was Rouge. They both knew the other was injured and didn't want to worsen anything. Rouge didn't notice he towel had dropped until she felt Shadow against her and her cheeks went the color of Shadow's quills. She pulled away.

"Umm..." She looked down and so did Shadow and he looked right back up. He grabbed her towel from the floor quickly and picked her up and carried her from the bathroom.

"Do you think you can dress yourself?"

"Uh, yeah. I'll manage." Rouge muttered. Shadow ran back to the bathroom and brought back her clothes.

"I'm going to go bandage myself up. Holler if you need anything."

"OK." And Rouge started to dress herself and all the while she couldn't help but smile.


	12. Misty and Lixinne?

Rouge finished dressing and sat on the couch. She found the remote and cut it on, flipping lazily through channels she had no interest in until something caught her eye. She watched it for a few minutes. Then Shadow walked back in, bandages around his stomach. He smiled at Rouge, who was scrawled out on the couch like she owned the place. He came over and lifted her slightly, then laid next to her and put her back in her place. He wrapped a arm around her waist and she closed her eyes, tiredly. Shadow smiled.

They stayed there for about 2 hours before Shadow finally decided to start dinner. He gently got from under Rouge, not wanting to wake her but failing. She opened her eyes drowsily and blinked several times.

"Go back to sleep my sweet princess," Shadow kissed the top of her head, then her nose, then on the lips and walked out of the room without making another sound. Rouge went back to sleep, her dreams twirling around images of Shadow until they focused on one, which then began to move and turn into a dream. Shadow took her hand and twirled her around, over and over again, Rouge spinning on her heel. She wore a long gown, and a tiara on her head that crowned her a princess. Shadow smiled a beautiful smile and the light that shined out onto the balcony made his eyes sparkle like rubies. He smiled wider and stood there looking like an angel. Rouge's breath was taken away from her, and she couldn't bring herself to speak and disturb the moment, so she settled on dancing. They began to twirl again, over and over again until Shadow dipped her down and laid a soft kiss upon her lips.

Rouge opened her eyes and looked up at the metallic ceiling of the ARK, she felt her heart drop. She wished so greatly that the dream had been real, but she couldn't change the fact that it hadn't. Rouge sat up and sighed. She looked around. _Where is Shadow?_ she thought. She suddenly caught the smell of butter, garlic, and tomatoes. Suddenly Rouge heard footsteps and Shadow walked into the room holding 2 trays. He gave a smile that would make any girls heart melt. _He seems so happy, even after what happened. That was a little weird._

"I hope you like Italian." He smiled.

"Like it? I love it! One of my faves." Rouge smiled and sniffed again. Shadow chuckled and set the trays on the table in front of Rouge. She took a bite of hers and smiled again, taking another bite. "This is delicious!" She took another bite. She looked up and noticed Shadow was just staring at her. "Um, Shadow?" She waved a hand infront of her face. He grabbed it and put it down on the couch, holding it down as he continued to just stare. Rouge tried to take her hand back, but he held it tighter.

"You think that's delicious. God you look so delicious right now." Shadow suddenly pulled her closer and kissed her. She kissed him back, even though he seemed so creepy about a minute ago. By the time he stopped kissing her she couldn't even remember that. He moved his lips down to her neck and kissed it gently. He then ran his tongue on her neck and Rouge shivered. He suddenly stopped and Rouge could feel his breath on her neck. He suddenly froze, his whole body going still. He stood and left the room hastily. His face was blank.

Rouge stared after him, not sure what to think. "What was that?" She looked down and noticed her dinner which was beginning to get cold. She sighed and went back to eating, not sure what to think.

Shadow then returned, a smile on his face. Rouge gave him a weird look but he kept on smiling. He walked over and sat next to her. She leaned away a bit and he frowned, looking confused.

"What?" Shadow asked, obviously lying about not knowing.

"You know."

Shadow sighed and looked down, twiddling his thumbs. "I'm going to be honest. I have no idea what came over me. You just looked so good and I... I don't know what I was going to do. I scared myself for a moment. I thought I was going to hurt you, or worse..." His voice got quieter until he completely trailed off and went silent, looking away.

Suddenly you heard barking. Two small Pomeranians ran into the room, one was a red-orange color and the other was white. They jumped up on Rouge and stared licking her repeatedly. She laughed and hugged them tightly. A smile broke out on Shadow's face.

"Who are they?" Rouge asked and finally calmed them down by petting their heads.

"The white one is Misty, and the orange one is Lixinne. They were 2 puppies I found on the street, hungry. I guess they were related. It happens all the time. People don't know what to do with the puppies their dogs have so they just dump them. I thought they'd be good enough company." Shadow shrugged.

Even Shadow didn't think it was much, Rouge thought it was so sweet. "They're so cute!" They licked Rouge again. Shadow smiled and picked up Lixinne.

"This one Is my favorite out of the two though. She's less yappy, even f she is the runt of her litter it seems... She's the one that came and laid with me while I slept while the other ran around." Shadow kissed the top of the orange doe's ear.

Rouge smiled widely, then looked back down at the snow white dog. She jumped up and kissed Rouge again and she giggled.

2 Weeks Later*********************************

Rouge groaned loudly and looked down at the huge stack of papers now sitting on her desk. "Are you kidding me?" She looked down with a hopeless expression. Jackie laughed awkwardly.

"Sorry Rouge! I did some of it for you already..." She pointed to a stack about the same size over in the completed bin.

"MY GOD! Why is there so much all of the sudden?" Rouge asked, curiously.

"It's all the random attacks lately. Since we can't find the culprit, we're constantly making different forms for the next person to try and hunt them down. I guess it's your turn next." Jackie shrugged.

Rouge sighed again and took the paper on top of the stack and looked at it. "Wait a sec... This is for Shadow! Not me." Rouge looked at Jackie. She took the sheet and looked it over.

"Well actually, it's for both of you. Since you guys are partners they'd probably send you together on this mission. Want me to go get Shadow and you guys can do the work here in the lounge?"

"Please do." Rouge said and pulled a pen from in between her breasts and clicked it. She started the information on the first sheet. Name, specialization, powers, experience, she scrawled on the page in purple ink. She heard the door of the lounge close and two pairs of footsteps walk in. She heard the chair next to her move and someone sit, but she didn't move. She continued to scrawl.

Suddenly, she found herself beyond unable to look at the paper. Shadow pulled her into a heart-melting kiss, and his hand on her waist slid onto her back and gripped her shirt tightly. He then suddenly let go, and pulled out a pen and started writing himself, ignoring Rouge, who was panting slightly. She just stared at him. He finally looked up at her, away from the red writing on his paper. He smiled then burst out laughing. Rouge joined him.

"What the hell did we just do?" Shadow laughed again.

"I don't know, but whatever it was, it was fun." Rouge smiled.

They spent a few more hours doing paperwork until they finally finished. Rouge sighed and Shadow put his arm around her. "I know we should've eaten at lunch time, but we didn't so want to eat now? Even if it's like dinner time... Or do you want to go for a walk and stop at the first place that sounds nice?"

"Walk." Rouge smiled. "But can we hang around back first?"

Shadow just smiled and picked Rouge up, bridal style and carried her through the office hallway, getting stares, a few aw's, and one ew. He carried her out the back and set her next to the tire swing. She smiled.

"I'm afraid to get on. I'm in a skirt..." Rouge trailed off.

Shadow chuckled. "Oh Rouge, don't worry. From what I've seen, you have very good taste in underwear." Shadow squinted his eyes and smiled.

"When have you ever seen my underwear?" Rouge looked at him like he was a creep.

Shadow didn't answer. Instead he just pointed to the swing. "Get on." Rouge sighed, knowing she wouldn't be getting an answer anytime soon, so she went over and started to climb on the swing to get in. Shadow grabbed her waist and helped her in. He then pushed her gently, and she swung back and forth.

They spent an hour or so out there, swinging and whispering little things together, flirting quietly. They giggled and hugged one another.

When they were about to go get dinner together, Rouge realized that she forgotten her purse in her office and asked Shadow to wait there for her while she went in to get it. She walked through the hallway and into her office. She went and grabbed her purse and turned to see a note on the door. She took it down and read over it then gasped, her eyes wide.


	13. No Chicken For Me?

Rouge began to shake, re-reading the note over and over again until she had the whole thing memorized, handwriting and all. The handwriting was incredibly elegant, but at the same time, horribly threatening. The ink was smeared in several places and it looked like the note had been wet.

Rouge wanted to crumple the note, to tear it to shreds and stomp on it repeatedly. She knew she couldn't. She needed to keep it. _Should I show Shad-_ The last line played over in her head and she decided it best not to. She folded the note and tucked it away in her bra. She exited her office and walked out back and over to Shadow, who was drifting off on the ground, leaned up against the tree. Rouge made a mental note about how peaceful Shadow seemed in sleep, unlike his normal, broody self. She just stood there and watched him for a bit.

"And you think me a stalker." Shadow smiled, eyes still closed.

Rouge jumped at his sudden conversation. "Uh..." She looked to the side, her cheeks going bright red.

"I sometimes don't understand you Rouge. Your so complex, but I like that." Shadow continued, still not opening his eyes. Rouge blushed at the comment, not knowing what to say. "You know me more than anybody else does, and the fact that you actually cared enough to get to know me warms mt heart to a great degree." He finally cracked open his eyes to wear you could just see a little glimmer of his crimson orbs. He smiled warmly as he lay on the tree, looking asleep to anybody who would've seen him.

Rouge stared at him. His beauty was so incredible, yet people ignored and shied away from the ebony hedgehog for his... Rouge couldn't even think of what was wrong with him now. He seemed so perfect. Wanting to not be near him was a long-far foreign feeling for Rouge. All she wanted now was to be in his arms, but she didn't want to disrupt him.

Shadow seemed to read Rouge's mind and put out his arms for her to come to him. She walked over and went to sit in the grass but Shadow grabbed her waist and pulled her onto his lap.

"Not in the grass silly. I don't want you to dirty your skirt." He snuggled close onto her neck, her back against his chest. His arms curled around her, under her waist. He pulled her closer and she blushed but laid her head back against the tree.

"I love you Rouge." Shadow said, his eyes closing the centimeter they had opened. Rouge's mind suddenly conjured up the images of her tossing the blue bear over the edge. That was the last time they had exchanged these words. Rouge sighed happily.

"I love you to Shadzie." She snuggled closer at the cute name and Shadow giggled and opened his eyes, raising an eyebrow.

"Shadzie?" Shadow asked, chuckling.

"Well I'm Rougie, so get over it." Rouge winked playfully and got up. "Come on! I'm hungry, and things will be closing soon." She put out her hand to help Shadow up and he looked at it, but just appeared standing suddenly infront of her. He grabbed her hand and started to walk away. She followed, stumbling at first.

"What do you feel like having?" Shadow asked, not even looking at her, staring ahead at several shops.

"Food." Rouge answered, trying to be cute. Shadow stopped short of his walk and Rouge bumped into his back. He turned and looked at her with a look of disgust. This surprised Rouge and she felt her heart drop. "What?"

Shadow shook his head and his expression turned to a smiled and he snickered. "Nothing. How about Chinese?" He smiled an angelic smile that warmed Rouge in a weird way. She smiled back and Shadow and her went into the Chinese place to grab some food. They ordered and sat in the waiting chairs, fingers twined on the arm rest. The Chinese woman behind the counter gave them a smile before they left.

They decided to eat at Rouge's place so they went there and Rouge unlocked the front door. She walked in and went into the kitchen and flipped the switch, Shadow behind her carrying bags of food. He set them down on the counter and looked through them. Rouge went and grabbed two plates from the cabinet. She set them on the counter and Shadow pulled out two containers and a bag of egg rolls then some fortune cookies and sauce.

"Dammit." Shadow muttered.

"What?" Rouge looked up from grabbing a container and fork.

"They didn't give us the General Tao's Chicken..." Shadow muttered.

"Damn... Wanna go back and complain?" Rouge smiled. Shadow smiled at her and shook his head. He came next to her and was rather close as he began to make him plate. This made it difficult for Rouge, but she didn't want him to move. She continued on and put on her plate what she wanted. Shadow did the same, except for his missing General Tao's Chicken he loved so much. He took the fork from Rouge and handed her chop sticks. She looked at them like she had never seen them before.

"C'mon, it will b fun to try, won't it? I suck with them to, so we can try together. I don't want to be the only fool here." Shadow winked and carried his plate to the table and Rouge followed. She sat and Shadow scooted his chair closer to her and she smiled at him, leaning on his shoulder as she ate.

They both laughed at their horrible chop stick skills. Shadow made a comment on how well Rouge was eating her rice and she stuck out her tongue at him. He took the opportunity, and touched his tongue to hers, slipping it in her mouth and pulling her into a deep kiss. This continued until Shadow lost balance when Rouge crawled into his lap and he fell in the chair backwards. They both cracked up at this.

Shadow stood, then picked up Rouge bridal style. The clock read: 1:14.

"We stayed up late... You tired?"

"Not at all." Rouge smiled then yawned. Shadow laughed and muttered something like "you little liar". Rouge snuggled close to Shadow as he carried her to her bedroom. She set her down in the bed and kissed her quickly before turning to cut off the light. He opened the door to leave.

"Um..." Rouge trailed off.

"Yeah?" Shadow turned to see Rouge had moved the blanket so another person could lay down. Shadow smile to himself and came over. He kicked off his shoes and gloves, then crawled into the bed.

Rouge smiled and snuggled close into his chest. He hugged her tightly and rubbed her back. She drifted into a peaceful sleep in his arms.


	14. Where?

_Oh my god_, Shadow thought. Rouge was asleep in his arms but he couldn't sleep. The bear was sitting in his bed at home. Lixinne was probably cuddled next to it while Misty was making a mess of the empty living room. Shadow sighed to himself, knowing her probably wouldn't sleep at all that night.

.:+:.

Rouge opened her eyes and looked to the ceiling. She rubber her eyes and looked around. _Where was Shadow? _She got up and exited her room. She then sniffed and something smelt really good. She followed the smell, more than willingly. She came into the kitchen to see Shadow frying something.

"That smells good!" Rouge smiled. "What are you making?"

"Chicken."

"For breakfast?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Because I wanted chicken because the damn Chinese place can't understand English." He flipped the chicken then thought over his words. "Ok that sounded really stupid." He laughed. Rouge joined in and smiled a small smile and came over to hug him. He flipped off the stove top and suddenly picked her up, and she wrapped her arms around his neck and legs around his waist. He carried her into the living room, where the TV was playing the image of a fire. Shadow then sat Rouge on the couch and he sat next her and smirked. She smiled and put a hand on his knee.

Shadow leaned in and kissed Rouge. Her heart fluttered slightly at his touch on her back and pulled closer, pushing him back so she was on his lap, fingers tangled in the thick white puff upon his chest. He gripped her back and laid down so she was on top of him. Shadow pulled the blanket that was hanging over the top edge of the couch and pulled it over them. Shadow kissed Rouge passionately and his tongue begging to be let in. Rouge opened her mouth for him and he had his way. They continued on for about 10 minutes until they were both tired and their lungs were begging for breath. Rouge relaxed her head on Shadow's chest and he held her close.

"You know, I think my chicken is cold now." Shadow frowned.

Rouge giggled. "I think all the forces in this universe are highly against you consuming chicken to your liking."

Shadow pouted in an adorable way and Rouge gave his a peck on the lips. She then got up. "Hey I need to shower." She smiled and headed upstairs. Shadow went back into the kitchen and frowned at his cold chicken. "She's right..."

Rouge runs the water, so hot that the mirror starts to fog up almost instantly. She strips down and gets in, and washes shampoo through hair. She finished cleaning herself them wrapped her fuzzy purple robe around herself as she headed to her room for some clothes. She walked in and went to her dresser. She opened it and started to dig through her clothes.

Suddenly hands came from behind her and she giggled and turned. "Shadow!" She froze when she saw it wasn't her ebony and crimson lover.

.:+:.

Shadow picked his cold chicken apart with a fork, while wondering what on Earth was taking Rouge so goddamn long. He pushed the chicken aside and stood and headed upstairs. He walked into the bathroom, steam hitting him in the face the second he opened the door and blurring his vision. He rubbed his eyes and the opened door helped the steam clear. He looked around when he noticed a stray folded up, crinkled piece of paper on the floor. He grabbed it- it was still warm- and unfolded it. He read it over quickly then anger took over and he crushed the note in his hand, making a fist. He turned and ran from the bathroom and into the next room. She wasn't there. He growled and he decided to go get her. But he stopped on the stairs as a thought hit him. _Where the hell am I going?_


	15. Signed M

Rouge opened her eyes to a weird place. It was rather cave-like, and damp. Rouge stood and realized her robe was gone. She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. She looked around for her robe and she spotted it in the corner. She went over and grabbed it. It was surprisingly warm compared to the temperature of the cave. She pulled it on, more than willingly, and took a look around. She noticed the floors were ice, but you see something under them. She kneeled down and wiped the ice with her sleeve. She froze and jumped up. They're people. Mobians. So many. They all still looked alive, but they weren't. Mephiles killed them long ago.

Rouge continued to gape at the site, when hands surrounded her and pushed her down. Mephiles laughed darkly at the site and approached a struggling Rouge. With fear, Rouge remembered what the note read.

_Rouge,_

_I'm pretty sure you know who this is. I know where you are at all times, remember that. And I will get Shadow, but I need you to do so. I will find you and take you, and I will do what ever I want to you whether you like it or not._

_-M_

.:+:.

Shadow raced down to Emerald Town, quite reluctantly. He hated to ask for help, but it was only Tails. He just needed him to locate Mephiles's energy or something. And a GPS watch wouldn't hurt...

He ran to the fox-shaped lab and took a step inside, without knocking. He looked around, walking down several hallways until he found the main lab. He grabbed the handle and pulled the door open. Shadow noticed a bundle of tails sticking out from a hole in a robots side.

"Uh..." When Shadow said this, the tails went erect and Tails pulled out from the robot and gave Shadow a surprised smile.

"Hiya Shads!" He said and jumped down, pulling goggle off of his face and adjusting his tool belt.

"Hey Tails."

"What brings you here?" Tails came over and smiled cutely at Shadow.

"Well I need a new watch and-"

"Oh!" Tails cut him off and ran to a cabinet and crawled inside, throwing several object out behind him then reappearing with a watch. He came over and grabbed Shadow's hand. Shadow pulled his hand away and snatched the watch and put it on himself.

"AND I need help..."

"With?"

"Finding Mephiles..."

Tails' eyes went wide. "And why do you want to find him?"

"He has Rouge." Shadow muttered rather reluctantly. Tails froze then ran over to a giant computer in the room and started typing like lightning and words came and went on the screen too fast. Shadow watched and read all that appeared and studied everything Tails put in. He recognized several names as passwords and such. Shadow wanted this knowledge if he had to know something without Tails one day.

Then a map suddenly appeared and a dot appeared. Tails hit a button and it zoomed, then zoomed again until you could see the cave rather clearly on the map.

"There." He pointed. Shadow studied the location, but no bother, Tails suddenly grabbed his wrist and shoved a cord into the watch. It looked like it was downloading for a millisecond then said "COMPLETE". Shadow looked up. "That will put it in the GPS system and let you know where your going, your estimated time, how much farther until your there, etc."

Shadow nodded and with that, was off to go get Rouge.

.:+:.

Rouge screamed loud, pulling away from the ice chains on the wall. They were very cold, causing her wrists to be numb. The ice floor had a similar effect on her feet. Mephiles had taken her robe, saying something about how she should be happy, and coldness makes you more alert. Rouge just thought him a pervert who liked to stare at her, struggling on the wall. And he did stare a lot. That's all he did for about and hour earlier, but he then just got up and left.

Rouge struggled constantly, until she was too tired and cold to move, and slid down to the floor. She shivered, her lips a light purple. She looked down to the blood on her ankle. She had cut it on one of the arms, trying to get away. The blood was now frozen and crusted onto her leg and foot. She felt like crying, like just sobbing her eyes out until she couldn't cry anymore, but that's what Mephiles wanted. He wanted her to break, and to give in. He didn't want to put up much of a fight.

Rouge's head shot up at the sound of footsteps returning and she stood, her skin very pale from the ice. She shivered again as Mephiles walked into the room, bringing a slight breeze with him. He seemed to smile at Rouge, even though he lacked a mouth. Rouge glared at him and he chuckled. He removed his gloves and Rouge gave him a questioning look. He dropped then and walked towards her. She backed up against the wall, their noses almost touching and he tilted his head to the side. He placed his hands on her waist, and Rouge flinched at this, but had no where to go. He moved his hands up, gripping her chest. She whimpered under his burning touch, trying to scoot down the floor, but he held her up.

"Stop it!" She cried, as he moved his hands down her, pushing his self against her. He placed his cold lips at her neck and ran his tongue down her neck. A tear ran down Rouge's cheek, and she closed her eyes, afraid for what came next.


	16. That Was Weird

Shadow zoomed past trees, and rocks. They eventually got too thick for him to run so he floated up and jumped through the tops. He rushed and stumbled once or twice. He ran faster then out of no where a squirrel jumped and Shadow froze at the sight of the furry creature. It saw him and darted.

"That was weird..." Shadow watched it as it ran. He then took off to run but the sound of a scream caused him to stumble and fall through the trees and down into the hot spring below. The water wasn't as hot as it should be. It was more like a bath then a bubbling sauna, but still felt nice. Shadow jumped from it. _Was that Rouge?_

He darted faster towards the sound.

.:+:.

Rouge cried as Mephiles finished and walked away from her. She finally let herself slide to the floor and began to whimper. Her feet were completely frozen and she couldn't feel her wrists. Her tears froze on her cheek, but she continued to cry, for she couldn't stop. Every inch of her body felt burned, yet frozen. The sensation seemed almost as impossible as it hurt. She didn't think she was going to live on much longer.

Mephiles went over and suddenly a chair of ice came from the ground, and he seated himself in it, resting his head in his palm and just staring at Rouge.

"Stop." She commanded, managing to sound strong. He didn't move and Rouge glared. "F*ck you." She growled and he still didn't move. Rouge became desperate for him to stop. His stare was horrible, but she couldn't explain why. She looked away, hoping it wouldn't feel as weird, but she could feel his eyes on her face. She slammed her eyes shut and began to cry again and shook her head over and over again. "STOP IT!" She begged, keeping her eyes closed.

Mephiles finally stood and Rouge cracked open her eyes. He began to walked down the towards the corner, that led through several other corners and out into the opening. It seemed to be that he was looking for someone else, but Rouge heard nothing. Mephiles chuckled and turned back to Rouge and appeared infront of her. She flinched away as he leaned down to her and pulled her into a kiss. She fought him with all of her might, but he pushed her against the wall and continued. He then tore away from her and walked back to the entrance. He glared around and then turned again. He came back to Rouge and got down close to her and put his head to her shoulder. She tried to scoot away but he placed his hand in her lap and held her there. He bite her ear and pulled and she let out a cry. "Stop! That hurts!"

"Get your f*cking hands off of her." A voice growled and Rouge shot her eyes open. There, stood Shadow, behind Mephiles, gun to his head. Mephiles broke out in laughter and turned to Shadow with an invisible smile.

"Hello Shadow." Shadow sneered at him when he said this, obviously disgusted with Mephiles' casualness at the moment. Shadow let of a shot in rage, but he disappeared. Shadow's eyes shot around the room and he got in a fighting stance. Rouge gave him a small smile.

Shadow's clothes were obviously wet, and looked like frost was beginning to form on the outside, plus he could see his own breath. He was quite cold, but his rage warmed him on the inside. He wanted to scream and thrash and rip Mephiles to shreds, but he had to find the bastard first.

A hit on the back of Shadow's head and he fell but turned and jumped to his feet. Several flashes of light appeared and Mephiles' image appeared in many different spots. Shadow's eyes darted around and he jumped several times, taking small blows at weak points. Then Shadow closed his eyes and stood there. This puzzled Rouge and she stared, even though she was shivering beyond belief, and possibly had hypothermia. Shadow suddenly opened his hand and shot it out to grasp the neck of the mouthless hog.

"Remember, I'm the Ultimate Life Form, and messing with me, is VERY stupid. I don't hold back, especially if you hurt the woman I love." He began to squeeze Mephiles' neck who made a slight choking sound, and a dark aura surrounded him. "NO!" Shadow commanded and held him tighter, but he disappeared, leaving Shadow with nothing but a fistful of air. "Dammit!" Shadow growled.

Rouge shivered and whimpered again and this caused Shadow to snap out of his rage. He ran to her almost instantly and shot the chains at their base, causing the whole thing to shatter. He did the same to the other and picked up Rouge. She gripped him tightly as he took off running, the cold air getting to her.

_I have to find her a place to get warm..._ Suddenly it hit Shadow and he retraced his footsteps from the place he had came. He found his destination quite easily. He stood infront of the hot spring and Rouge opened her eyes to stare at it, longingly. She wanted to go and jump into it, but she knew she couldn't walk all that well. Shadow walked over, too slowly, and gently placed Rouge in the water. The second it hit her skin, Rouge wanted yo dive in completely, head and all but knew it would be stupid so let her body defrost first.

Shadow shivered to himself and took a glance at her. His hair and clothes were frosty and cold. He debated whether or not he should join her, then removed his frozen jacket and hung it on a branch.

Rouge looked up to Shadow undressing. She blushed slightly, but Shadow used to run around naked all the time, but he had since adapted to clothes, This isn't that bad. He finished and hung his pants to dry. Even his fur was frosted, but had a light white covering it, which looked amazing in contrast with the ebony darkness. He turned and walked over to step inside. Rouge closed her eyes not seeming to notice.

Shadow smiled at Rouge and inched closer, putting and arm around her and pulling her close to him. Her warmness was starting to return and the heat of her cheeks felt good on Shadow's chest. She looked up, flushed and Shadow smiled, then leaned in for a kiss.


End file.
